What The Heck Is Ansatsuken?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- What is Ryu's iconic fighting style really based on?
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#fightinggames #FGC #streetfighter #ansatsuken
My favorite bit of Street Fighter lore is that Ansatsuken is supposed to be this legendary fighting style that only the most worthy can learn, but then some random high schooler mastered it in a few months with no teacher just by obsessively watching Ryu fight
I think it's fun to chalk that up largely to Sakura being an absolute freak beast
Sakura is just the Neji Hyuga of Street Fighter.
She can also access the satsui no hado just by being suntanned. I think sakura just has gohan levels of potential.
And here I thought that you meant an actual student
It's basically like
Ryu: the guy that had a teacher and learned the true way of karate
Meanwhile sakura: the girl who's poor and watched a few karate videos
It’s Ryu’s original style (do not steal)
Sakura Kasugano enter the chat
@@nexrex3042 fuckin tracer
Shoto archetype enters the chat
Coldsteel the Martial Art
@@Blu_Moon_VA
Akuma: teleports behind you
*Nothing personnel, kid*
You know, being Hispanic I sometimes forget just how entwined some Asian influence is on my culture, but when you said "Karateka" my first thought was "Why the hell is he referring to Ryu with a Spanish word?". Immediately remembering where the word comes from
The good thing about being a Spanish speaker is that Japanese pronunciation is very similar thus easy to hear/vocalize
@@zonk834 We got genkidama in dragon ball instead of Spirit bomb!
@@zonk834 always funny to hear English people struggling with the pronunciation of Japanese words when it feels so easy for me thanks to my native language being spanish.
@@AofCastle 100%
He pronounced it slightly wrong in this video though. He stressed the third syllable, which is wrong. It's pronounced "kah-rah-tay-kah" with equal stress on each syllable throughout. Which is a bit amusing, it reminds me of the 80s and 90s back when no one actually knew Japanese words and either put stress on the second or third syllable ("Kuh-RAH-teh-kah" or "Kah-rah-TEK-uh" like he said in this video) or came up with wilder tries with no guidance ("CARE-uh-TEE-kuh")
A.B.I. be like "Hey want to see a cool video about karate" *Ends in spiritual enlightenment*
"Karate is not a game. It is not a sport. It is not even a system of self-defense. Karate is half physical exercise and half spiritual. The karateist who has given the necessary years of exercise and meditation is a tranquil person. He is unafraid. He can even be calm in a burning building." - Mas Oyama
I think what causes the confusion is that although Ryu doesn't really use any strict kind of karate and his movelist seems like just an amalgamation of moves from different Japanese martial arts, he is very much based off of the founder of Kyokushinkai karate as a character, Masutatsu Oyama, as well as the fictionalised version of the man from the anime/manga, Karate Baka Ichidai. This goes down to the Kyokushin similarities you've noticed in Ryu's movelist and physique, as well as Ryu's win quotes and the philosophy and ideals he represents, his character concept and premise (wandering warrior persona) and even his rivalry with Sagat, a Muay Thai fighter as since it's inception, Kyokushin practitioners have tried to prove the effectiveness of their style by challenging Muay Thai fighters. Even some of Ryu's character artwork pays homage to images of Masutatsu Oyama.
The term "shoto" was never used to describe a character that looks like Ryu, but rather a character that has a lot of characteristics of Ryu's fighting style: dragon punches and fireballs and specifically throwing a fireball to force an opponent to jump at you so that you can dragon punch them out of the air.
... and then it became a broader term to describe the "basic" character in fighting games - Kazuya in Tekken, Mario in Smash, Ninja in MK - the characters that had the basic, fundamental gameplay of that particular game
@@deandejaguar No. Lol
@@deandejaguar Not really. A Shoto specifically has to have a fireball, a DP, and a Tatsu. They have a specific technique that they're geared toward, and are able to easily set up. They're usually looking to footsie with fireballs and pokes, get the opponent to attempt a jump-in, then hit with the DP both as an anti-air and something that often has I-frames at start-up. There's also Rushdowns, who are just there to plow over their opponent with as much rapid damage piled on as possible, usually with tons of ways to get in close, including dive-kicks to make it hard to anti-air you, lots of plus attacks, and often high speed. You might also have a Hit-and-Run, who plinks away with small damage while constantly maintaining space to avoid taking hits. Then there's Zoners, with long-range normals and lots of fireballs to keep an opponent from being able to close in, usually also with some kind of solid, preferably knock-back anti-air, Puppet characters where you're effectively manipulating two fighters at once, who may be able to strike independent of one another (Zato-1/Eddie from Guilty Gear, for instance), and Grapplers who are terrifying in the short-range because their prime offense is throws and command throws, and often have a very strong throw mix-up. All the archetypes have a specific style they're geared toward, and execute well.
A basic character is just a basic character, usually the easiest to play for a newbie because their inputs are simple, and they do a lot of damage without much skill/effort on the player's part. Sol Badguy is a basic character. You don't have to be good to win with Sol at the casual level, because he hits like a bomb even with normals, let alone specials. A basic character is often a Rushdown character (with some exceptions; Millia Rage is a rushdown, but she's definitely not a basic!), so you don't have a lot to think about when playing them, but could also be a Shoto, as their play-style can also be relatively simple, and they can often be made to function as a Rushdown even though that's not their strength.
@@deandejaguar I've only ever heard the smash kids use it that way and that's because most of them don't play enough fighters to know what it actually means.
Shotoclones! Also I kind of know the Tornado Kick from Double Dragon before I ever saw it in Street Fighter.
Note: a "hard-body" style doesn't just mean building stronger muscles; pretty much every style of martial arts has some degree of muscle conditioning, but "hard-body" is also training to endure impacts in various ways, including toughening the bones through exercises like makiwara training where you strike hard objects to toughen the fists and kangeiko training where you use cold (or sometimes hot) temperature climates (sometimes by meditating under waterfalls in winter) to build bodily endurance and control. It's basically not just strength training, but toughness training.
You cannot toughen boned like that. Just improves pain tolerance
@@FBviomicro fracturing bones and rebuilding them in a proper manner does make them get harder with time
@@FBvio What Icey said is the logic behind this training; I have done this training myself in my youth as well and it SEEMS to work, although I have no proof of it beyond my experience...however, if you look up Pan Qingfu you can see the results of decades long knuckle-hardening training. If you have your doubts, I respect that, since dubious claims are common in the martial arts world.
@@reeds.9669 I'd just like to caveat a little bit: what Icey said is the modern logic behind the training, but do these practices not predate the medicine on this? So it's justified somewhat by micro fracturing etc, however the foundation may be more spiritual and/or philosophical in nature. Maybe I'm wrong and these arts are both a) much younger than I imagine and b) genuinely based on evidential thinking rather than just coinciding with reality
@Reed S. you can 'harden' your knuckles by developing calluses, but there's no good study on the long term effects of micro fractures on the strength of bones
Kyokushin makes sense considering the Kyouguken (Art of Fighting) Style is based on it.
And much like real Kyokushin, Ryo's Kyokugen is mostly focused on close combat and encourages muscle building.
Kyokugenryu does a much better job of outright representing the physicality of Kyokushinkai, shown through all of its practitioners (Ryo, Takuma, Marco/Khushnood) and Ryu represents the philosophy of Kyokushin and acts as a sort of homage for its founder, Masutautsu Oyama.
@@nkopanelesedilebona9227 👍🏾 agreed!
@@nkopanelesedilebona9227 Also, it shows how much like Kyokushin, Kyokugen-ryu showcases how actual Karate-do dojo systems are handled and evolve in the real setting, and even include the struggles within it such as Takuma's attempts on keeping the Kyokugen-ryu school afloat.
@@nkopanelesedilebona9227 OSU !
01:12 Unrelated to the video in general but I still find it funny how that's apparently the reason why they swapped the names for Bison, Vega and Balrog because, at the end of the day, "Vega" is an extremely fitting and better name for a Spanish character than Balrog, since "Vega" is both an actual Spanish word and name.
It's also because Boxer in Japan was called M. Bison (what we in the West call Balrog aka Dictator)... a pretty unwise thing copyright wise, since he looks so similar to Mike Tyson already, so to give him such a similar name...
I'm almost certain that that info is wrong because the most commonly cited reason is that they thought naming their black boxing character "Mike Bison" was not a wise move
@@NeoBoneGirl Also, wasn't there a whole controversy with Mike Tyson at the time?
@@thomasthecoolkid7228 Yes. Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992. That was the actual reason for the name swaps in SF 2 (and why he was removed from Punch-Out on later console ports), as Boxer is blatantly a Tyson expy. Capcom USA was very mindful and cautious of how American audiences might perceive stuff, and Tyson's problems were very well known by the American public back then. The fact that westerners most likely wouldn't know of the Tanabata mythos and what Vega represents in Japan and that Balrog doesn't quite fit Claw for anyone familiar with Lord of the Rings were just incidental bonuses.
ez
Boxer = "Bison"
Claw = "Balrog"
Dictator = "M. Vega"
So you're saying the answer lies... in the heart of battle?
You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance.
The answer lies in the heart of battle.
Prepare to strike.
Now.
TRIUMPH OR DIE
👏 nice !
Wow. You just opened my eyes to a new side to this side of Street Fighter lore. I knew Ansatsuken had a basis in Kyokushin (I mean, Ryu was influenced by Mas Oyama, Yoshiji Soeno, and Karate Baka Ichida), but describing it as some kind of reflection and extension of the fighter's inner spirit and pursuits in life (almost in a Jeet Kune Do sort of way) just elevated it higher for me, and it's probably the most apt description for the style's practitioners and all those they influenced. Thank you so much. I hope you Style Select series continues to grow.
Individuality within styles isn't talked about as much by people "not in the know". Not everyone is going to be the same practicing the same things. We all have different bodies and minds so things will ultimately be different. Ryu is a traditionalist and represents the respect for his elders that make him a good Japanese boy. He is about balance and learning all the 'proper' aspects of the fighting style. Gouken fits into the idea of a man who has seen what violence can do, the devastation is can bring, and is trying to help people forge a different path. It's a Japanese sentiment that connects to the pain and devastation still felt from the war to this day. Akuma is that untethered warrior. The 'evil' that can overtake a person that stops seeing others as living beings worthy of living regardless of their differences. The very thing that the Japanese would point to as to why they ended up in the position they did during the war. Ken is your typical maverick American that is more into innovation than tradition. We have to keep in mind that these games are from a Japanese lens first and foremost. So with those personalities alone, there would be difference with how they practice the style and what moves they would find 'important'. Adding in Sakura, she's a teenage girl so she has to deal with challenges specific to her physical form. Her chi isn't as strong because she's still a child so she has to deal with the fact that she can't cover the whole screen with a fireball so she has to adapt to shoot it in various directions to help keep physically stronger opponents away. Her momentum is going to help her get the force that she needs so that's why her moves show her pushing across the screen. Yes, there is overlap. Where Sakura learns to throw a fireball in different directions because of her limitations, Akuma does it because it helps put constant pressure on an enemy. He also has short and long range fireballs for the same reason. The short ones are supposed to be more powerful too. Ryu and Ken have to learn how to shoot their fireballs in various directions because they fight M. Bison who can fly. They all have similar techniques that are bred from very different places and that's why they all seem to have different damage values and ranges for the same technique. It's also why Ken might use kicks more often than the others. Americans associate kicks with knowing martial arts way more than they associate a good punch so Ken gets used to throwing more kicks than Ryu. Sakura physical difference could also be why she will do more kicks than Ryu too. Women can generate more power from their hips than their shoulders where men have it the other way around. It also creates distance which helps Sakura keep stronger opponents away and helps Ken style on some fools with a well placed fireball. I say a lot of this because my older brother and I both practiced shotokan and we had different ways of using the techniques we learned. My brother would throw out kicks to create distance or test for openings so he could go in with a flurry of punches where I used kicks since they were my strongest attack and I would also use them to create distance since my arms were primarily used for blocking my head and body from attacks since my punches weren't as strong. We both knew how to do the various punches and kicks but we applied them very differently. Most people he went up against are similar in body size but most of the people I went up against were bigger than me. That made it where we developed very different styles of fighting even with learning the same techniques. We would talk about stuff like that which also made it easier for us when we went up against other people. It helped us analyze why people would choose a punch over a kick or vice versa. It made us better. Same principle can be applied to fighting games as well I think.
Thank you for this comment, I am happier for having read it
Hey man, is it possible for us to get spacing and new paragraphs? That would help with this comment quite a bit.
Dope comment
Great comment
I really like how Ansatsuken is handled in Street Fighter's lore. It helps to define the characters that use it and clearly has real world influences despite not being a real world martial art (because let's be honest, if people could throw Hadouken's in real life, that'd be both awesome and a good way for problems to start). Unlike other martial arts that are made up for fiction, where there's nothing other than "punch good" or "shoot lasers out of your hands", Ansatsuken applies both actual moves for martial arts AND the philosophies of martial arts as well, since it really is based on how the user decides to apply it to themselves and the world around them.
I kinda wished there was a short dive into the other ansatsuken-adjacent characters like Sakura, who learned it from Ryu but her excited nature led to a style filled with smaller strikes that snowballed into greater damage, or Dan, whose basic knowledge of the technique without any mastery led to a weak technique that's accompanied by a lot of deception, just like how he tried to hide his true intentions for learning from gouken.
"...and a good way for problems to start" LMAO Imagine getting sued for launching a Hadouken at some asshole.
@WolfDB Man, if you enjoy this type of application of martial arts, I know no better demonstration than Avatar: The Last Airbender. Bending moves are rooted both in legitimate martial art styles and philosophies.
@@recaru0331 They've made it clear over time that Dan would be an extremely good practitioner of ansatsuken if he used proper techniques. He can throw hadoukens with a single hand, something only Akuma and Gouken have mastered. The issue is that he never learned the proper techniques because Gouken refused to teach him, as his only goal at the time was to murder Sagat.
@@methodcafe Yup, even the additional abilities from different elements are based off of philosophy. Rather than purely science and logic.
Seeing a breakdown of the Street Fighter 3 moves just makes me appreciate how beautifully designed and animated the sprites are.
Edit: Just wanted to say this was a fantastic breakdown as always.
I keep hoping for every new SF to be a "SF 3 II"
@@Grogeous_Maximus More like sf3-(3)-2 lol
It's called raging demon because the most consistent way to survive it is by ragequitting your own body.
All I could think of is the speedrunner footage meme but it's Gouken xD
@@Elec.Balloon Gouken backwards long jumping out of his body
Underrated comment 🤣🤣🤣
My inner Karate nerd is so pleased with this episode. You really did your homework, A.B.I. and I'm super hyped about the proper Karate style-select (mostly for Jean Kujo's kickass Ashihara/Enshin)
6:50 I would absolutely adore to know more about this. So Akuma is his pursuit of death to surpass mortality, Gouken seeks to surpass himself but what about everyone else?
Ryu is quite obvious, he's trying to know and control himself. Evil-Ryu / Kage and all. That's why his main element is Eletric, a chi type that can only be achieved by mixing both sides (in his case Nothingness and Satsui, in the cases of Blanka and Laura mixing savagery / Cruelty with joy and innocence).
Ken's journey is about porsuing both modern and traditional Life styles. His main struggle is always keeping this balance, either having problems forgeting hus training and family (like in the SF4 OVAs) or failing on the moderm world because he did something in the name of his traditional Life style (What seems to be case in SF6, being accused of murder because he was the only suspect with power to do so).
Sakura and Sean...those two are more like a extension of Ryu and Ken than seperate things, in the theme sense. But they both have some twists on the themes (nothing as huge as the other 4, tho).
@@albertonishiyama1980 Sakura and Sean are at the beginning of their journeys. While Ryu fights because fighting is his whole being and the journey to true self understanding, Sakura is on the question "why do we fight?" She feels the urge and the rush and the excitement, but she doesn't really know what it's for, so she too is in it for self knowledge and understanding. Sean based on the added information from Street Fighter IV seems to be out to forge his own identity. Using Ansatsuken as a tool for self creation.
@@3Rayfire
Sakura currently isn't on the ''Why do we fight?'' but yes, she still hasn't a Very Personal Reason as she (kinda) wants to be recognised by Ryu and become one of his actual students (instead of training with him by time to time)
@@aleanddragonITA I was thinking back to the Street Fighter Alpha movie. But another thing about Sakura, she also does it because it's fun.
Hope ryu has a stronger connection with sakura and Sean trains with ken alot in sf6 😮
I guess the answer really did lie in the heart of battle.
Skills: Can sleep anywhere
Guess there's a Ryu in all of us
You really understated how much Street Fighter borrowed from "Fist of the Northstar." To the point that Gouki, Gouken, and Goutetsu's back story is a reference to Raoh, Toki, and Ryuken.
You also have to remember that Kyokushin karate has some influence from Shotokan karate since it was the 1st karate style that the founder of Kyokushin learn until he learned Goju Ryu Karate. That is why you see a lot of common kicks in Kyokushin and Shotokan even though you can pretty much see them in a lot of striking art.
Ayyy new SugarPunch video dropping on my birthday? Today’s pretty dope 🥴
Were you born on April 14th or 15th?
Damn, same!
Happy birthday!
@@alyosha2220 14th 👌🏿
@@ByrneBaby ayyy happy birthday 🎈
gotta love how almost every character uses a real world martial arts style except for the main character/poster boy of the franchise
Really dig this video! Two passing thoughts that occurred to me that I thought could be worth sharing:
The lore does actually give us a very roundabout hint about Kyokushin being relevant: Ryu challenging Sagat in street fighter 1 was directly lifted from the Karate Baka Ichidai manga, which in turn was inspired by the real life Kyokushin founder, Masutatsu Oyama. Of course, the storyline could've been borrowed without the fighting style, but I think it's safe to say that it roots the Kyokushin similarities in lore a bit.
Apart from that, since shorinji kempo is brought into the mix, it might be worth taking a look at Shorin Ryu karate - sometimes described as the very first karate style. The qigong section probably makes shorinji more relevant anyways, but since Ryu is, as you described, the most iconic karateka, I just think it might be cool!
Also there is evidence to suggest that Ansatsuken is meant to be be an off-shoot of Shorinji; Retsu one of the least-mentioned characters in Street Fighter is a Shorinji stylist who is also a friend of Gouken and is mentioned to have been excommunicated from his temple and in some unused sprites from "Capcom Fighting Evolution" Retsu was shown in "Nio" stance similar to Gouken's so it's possible that Gouken himself is another exiled Zen monk from Retsu's order. Gouken's master Goutetsu also wears a uniform that looks very similar to the saffron pants, socks and wrapped sandals that Shaolin monks wear, and is depicted holding a staff in the Shaolin "ready" position and using the one-handed Bodhidharma/Damo salute which is another trademark of Shaolin. Gen also uses a style that's similar to Seven Stars Praying Mantis Fist (Tanglangquan) that's among the many taught in the Shaolin temple.
Goutetsu's profile on "Capcom Fighting Network" places doubts that he is (and by extension Gouken) some kind of "Shaolin Temple" exile like Retsu is, for the former is described as having laid the foundation of the "Ansatsuken" (Assassination Fist) style that Gouken and Gouki practices.
Side note: if you watched the "Assassin's Fist" web series, the way Ansatsuken is described (loosely) is a collection of techniques intended solely for killing.
Gouken and Gouki trained in original Ansatsuken under their master Goutetsu after he returned from service in WWII, but Gouki misused the teachings, allowing the "Dark Hadou," to consume him, and used the Shun Goku Satsu to kill Goutetsu.
Afterwards, Gouken altered the techniques to use what he called "Muno Hadou" (Literally the energy of nothingness) making them the non-lethal versions that Ryu and Ken were taught.
This may be irrelevant since it's all made up anyway, but Capcom officially endorsed the show, so technically Ryu and Ken practice a modified Ansatsuken.
Oh yes because a fighting style called "Assassin's Fist" clearly needed less assassination
@@alanmcmillian and I'm just making a joke
Eh, what's wrong with just using a gun to assassinate people? Beating the shit out of someone in order to kill him/her doesn't seem to be very effective.
Also learning the Ansatsuken takes place in 3 Steps:
Step 1: Learning the Basic
Step 2: Traveling the World to fight against various Martial Arts & Fighting Styles
Step 3: Use the Experience learned in the Journey to personalise the Ansatsuken to one own Personality
And this generate a great variety in this Martial Art as it's created to encourage it's customization
You could basically create a Character which Fighting Style looks little like the Ansatsuken but say it is simply very Customised 😂
Look I had an idea for a Character like right now
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The comments ends here but for anyone that want to know about the Oc's Ansatsuken I thought:
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For anyone that wants to read it here it is:
Basically this Character (that I will call Yami) was trained by an Ansatsuken Master that though similar to Akuma
That fight must be to the death
So Yami was forced into learning the Ansatsuken (but under a more violent training to make him be more accustomed to violence) his Master ended up fighting Akuma and losing (obliviously) so Yami both for a Hatred born because of the Violent Training & the trauma of seeing his Master being killed by Akuma (another Ansatsuken Practitioner) hated it, so he wanted to forget the Ansatsuken and to do so tried to learn New Martial Arts
But The Ansatsuken is too much engraved in him so it's still shines through his Martial Arts/Fighting Style (a little bit) a little bit
(I also thought he could have this Stress Mether that more build up more the Yami would switch more and more to the Ansatsuken)
@@Doyoueverwonderwhywerehere bad joke
I always thot that the kicks for the most part reminded me of Shotokan, but his actual fighting stance resembled the Mayweather “Philly Shell” boxing style almost exactly. BUT his punching techniques seemed to be very reminiscent of Kyokushin.
I think this mix did a good job of making a visually unique style for Ryu.
Thanks for covering this topic!, I've been thinking about this for about a month.
I agree with your conclusion, "Ansatsuken" it's all about the character who practices it and their personal motivations/goals.
I love the parallel it has with the real-life concepts of "Satsujinken" and "Katsujinken", because behind all the techniques, it all begins with the reason a practicioner (character or person) develops their own martial art.
I'm of the idea that every serious martial art has the potential to empower the user, even to the point of "assassinating" someone, but it's ultimately the practicioner who decides what to do with their skills, so in a sense, any well trained martial art can become "Ansatsuken" for someone, the only remaining thing to see is who develops a functional Hadouken first 😅
I'll wait eagerly for the Karate in videogames video, keep up the good work!
Really good breakdown, I hope that when you do a Karate Style Select, you mention that Kazuya's "Mishima Ryu Karate" is reminiscent of Shotokan Karate & Jin's "Traditional Karate" is reminiscent of Kyokushin Karate!
You talked about Kenji in the bajiquan episode of style select, and as a result I'm currently most of the way through it. It's interesting how by the end you can actually tell the difference between different kung fu styles beyond the really obvious lookin animal stances. It's also fun to see how Street Fighter adopts some stuff really faithfully - the physique might be street fighter level, but characters like Yun basically uses all real moves of the style. But then they also like having very silly characters like Blanka, Vega or Dhalsim who are very tangentially realistic at best lol
Hell yeah, just finished watching the whole Style Select playlist, the couple of Style Select videos not on the list, and I even just made a video inspired by Style Select myself! Love this style of content!
As a Tae Kwon Do blackbelt, so much of Shotokan look so similar to what I know. Interesting considering Tae Kwon Do's origins as a 'military' martial art, with emphasis on keeping the practitioner out of harm (and emphasis on kicks for fighting with a rifle in hand)
This is a good breakdown and analysis of what these Characters fight like and are designed by. This is my favorite archetype of fighting game characters and as someone who likes and trains martial arts, this helps understand and know where to look
2:32 I don't know what happened to the sound here but I felt this in my throat.
Is the audio crunchy in some places for anyone else?
yea i thought it was just me since no one else was mentioning it.
Yep, definitely messed up.
As a lifelong martial artist and street fighter, I think you’re right on the money.
On that note, Ryu himself was based on the founder of Kyokushin Mas Oyama.
So, despite his style not really looking like pure Kyokushin, the thought was always there.
I love that you mentioned Shorinji Kempo, which is the martial art I chose to practice, but you forgot (or decided not) to mention a character from the first SF that practices exactly that: Retsu. His martial art is Shorinji Kempo and he was "indefinitely excommunicated from his temple for using forbidden techniques", and he was/is a friend of Gouken's (and Ryu's, after being defeated by him in the first game), so if Ansatsuken practitioners adapt from their encounters and fights with other martial artists, it makes sense that Retsu may have had an influence on Gouken.
Imagine in sf6 where you train under Ryu and ask him the history of his style.
I'd love it if Ryu honestly couldn't think of an answer and just fight you again.
I learned Ansatsuken when i was in Highschool ! It unlocked many psychic abilities in me !
Ah life is so much sweeter with a little sugar. Thank you for sharing. I met Ryu and the crew when I was a kid (early teens?) at the arcade with my best friend. Today I'm over 40 and looking forward to playing SF6 with him when it comes out soon. So Ryu and ansatsuken means a lot more to me than it realisticly should. I very much appreciate your video.
Ansatsuken is a narrative tool the writers use to express different philosophies of life.
Did anyone else notice at 5:50 during the Shorinji Kempo display clip how the guy was on the ground tapping out and the one standing up still kicked him square in the gut while he was on the ground AFTER he tapped out? 🤣 Damn, savage for the sake of savagery, I like it lmao
Would love to see something like this for Tekken's Mishima Style Karate!
Mishima-ryu, physically, seems to be quite varied across its practitioners, brought together mostly by the ideas, attitude and mindset of Mishima-ryu, of drawing strength through hatred, resentment, grudges, power-lust and seeking to hurt the opponent as much as possible, which ties into why the Mishima bloodline is so corrosive. I'm not exactly sure but Heihachi seems to use some sort of more traditional Goju-ryu style of karate, Kazuya looks more Shotokan + Kyokushin and... pre-timeskip, before changing to straight Kyokushin in Tekken 4, I'm not so sure...
To put it simply,
Heihachi's style is a more aggressive take of "Goju-ryu" where the style features hard-soft techniques (hard striking and soft countering) with circular movement.
Kazuya is, inherently, a Mishima focused on defense and counter-attacks to which he showcases "Shotokan" with a lot of his moves' properties (and typical Mishima-ryu exclusive moves like the Electric Wind God Fist) being better suited for whiff punishing.
TK3 Jin showcases "Shito-ryu" which unifies both of Heihachi's Goju-ryu and Kazuya's Shotokan moveset with a touch of Jun's moves (Daito-ryu Aiki-jutsu) thrown in there, hence why Jin shows fast and powerful yet artistic-esque movements with his TK3-Tag1 moveset. Devil Jin uses the same as old Jin but with more devil-influence moves thrown in.
From TK4 onwards, Jin showcases a K1-esque style of Kyokushinkai known as "Seidokaikan" (this style of Kyokushin allows face punches, elbows, and sweeps which is demonstrated in all of modern Jin's moveset) while having traditional Kyokushin techniques in his moveset. By TK8, with the hybrid combination of his devil gene powers, he does a lot more stylistic yet hard-hitting moves that could be seen from Devil Jin but he also showcases some (from observing the trailers) Mishima moves like the Thunder God Fist indicating that he slightly returned to his roots after his newfound character development.
THANK YOU. I’ve been waiting for someone to cover this for years
1:56 I genuinely did not think Ansatsuken was another Fist of the North Star / Hokuto no Ken reference until now.
But considering that the Shun Goku Satsu is also an HNK reference, it also does not surprise me one bit.
I think in addition to these, I believe the one that practices the pure traditional way of Ansatsuken is Goutetsu, Gouken and Gouki's master, representing the tradition and history of Ansatsuken, sticking in the core fundamentals, including how to properly handle the concept the Satsui no Hado.
For the younger people out there. We call Ryu a shoto because In the original manual of street fighter 2 on the SNES it stated he's a practitioner of shotokan karate.
Edit: apparently he does mention this, some how I missed it. My mistake
Interesting! Shorinji kenpo wouldn't necessarily have been my first guess for an irl influence on the fictional style in the game. I would have mentioned Nippon Kenpo, as it is another very modern school of martial arts that actually uses the term "hadoken." Granted, it's more of an overhand, swinging punch rather than a fireball.😅
Also interesting that you mentioned "qi gong." This is a very recent term that describes a wide variety of breathing techniques and practices from not only martial arts but contemplative and spiritual disciplines. Chinese communist party members coined the term as a catch all for these disparate practices while trying to liberate them from their "backwards and feudal" origins. There's a complicated history there that involves some pretty arcane Chinese political concerns.
The influence that I think you missed completely, regarding the Buddhist aesthetics and spirituality, is the uniquely Japanese religious practice of Shugendo. But that is a can of worms I don't think I can even hope to break down in a comment.
This was a cool video to see. Seeing the real-world influences and how it shaped that Street Fighter characters is very neat to see. Thank you for this video!
Absolutely adore this series! Please do one on boxing :)
A neat idea for a style select could be characters that take inspiration from entertainers. From TH-camrs to idols to pro wrestlers to even hondas occasionally kabuki stuff. How do they implement the showmanship into their fighting? Especially since in the modern day all fighting is meant to be entertainment.
Did anyone else have problem with the audio in this video? It sound like rattle it's really heard around the 7:10 mark. Love the whole sugar punch channel keep up the great work.
Yeah, definitely noticeably weird audio at times, not just you.
We do not acknowledge those times that Raging Demon doesn’t kill around here. My headcanon is Goken was using borrowed time. And Heihachi was just fated to die to Kazuya. M.Bison can switch vessels if his current one is deteriorating and I ain’t about to go down that rabbit hole.
Love this video! Especially the differences between Ryu, Ken, Gouken and Akumas usage of Ansatsuken. :) I'm wondering how Sakura and Seans usage would be described as.
Ansatsuken is a unique fighting style that only the Street Fighter universe can use. Though there other Shoto-cons in fiction that have a fighting style based heavily on Ansatsuken, particularly the expies of Ryu. Are there other fictional fighting styles that 2 or more martial arts?
It's been so long since this channel did style select... Im glad now back
Ya know, next time you should cover the Mishima Karate style. I believe it's worth a look, since all Mishima users are so different from each other in their styles.
You made the perfect video for me. Can’t believe how much I learned in 9 minutes. Thank you.
I like to think that Sakura is like a balanced style but adds a lot of flair and athleticism. Because she may not have the strongest fireballs but can shoot it in different angles. Like she has proper control, just like Ryu. As for Shaun he never really complete or started his training. He got a lot of what he knows from watching Ken and has that youth feel to it. Very crude and wild.
Bro hope they improve in sf6, both ryu and ken train them to the max since sakura barely even trains with ryu and they dont have a strong connection... and sean is basically another dan.
Wow, this is really well put together. I never really knew, well, ANYTHING about this stuff. Subbed, I'm very interested in watching more!
Hey, very cool - I was considering doing something similar with martial arts styles in games but never got around to it.
Looking at Ryu's style, I can see quite a lot of Karate there. His fighting stance looks quite a lot like the Philly Cage used in boxing, but if you look at his techniques and his movements, he's doing a lot of Karate stuff. The Hadouken is a lunging double palm strike. The Tatsu is a jumping spinning reverse crescent kick. Some of his regular strikes are definitely video game jitsu, but he has a few that could definitely be seen in a Karate Dojo.
Had forgotten how much I love the way clothes are animated in 3
great vid, but it seems there is an issue with the mic on some parts
I appreciate keeping the rumblevsrse soundtrack alive
hold up hold hold up. vega/bison/balrog had changed names not because of "wanting it to sound more fearsome/evil"
it was all about western market worrying about lawssuits from mike tyson lookalike, balrog (boxer) was originally names M Bison (because they wanted to cash in on mike tyson fame), bison (dictator) was originally named VEGA (which i think is appropriate to his lore location), and vega (the mask/claw) was originally named balrog
once the game had to move to america/europe local lawyers were scared of mike tyson (or rather his managers) smelling a chance to file a lawsuit for similar name and likeness (black bald boxer). remember back then capcom was much smaller company, and they would get rammed by tyson's lawyers in states.
thus they suggested name switching, and this is to this day to my knowledge
Now that you did a video of the fighting style of the protagonist of street fighter, you've now have to ask the same about the tekken protagonists, "what is the Mishima style?"
For the upcoming karate video, I can't help but wonder if MUGEN's Kung Fu Man will be mentioned. Despite his name, his fighting style most resembles karate. Of course, he may be ignored, being a MUGEN character, but he is the first character ever created for the engine, by its developers, and comes with every official version, so he's the only canonical fighter in MUGEN itself (not even his arch-enemy was created by the MUGEN developers) and basically is the mascot for the engine itself.
But this video also made me think of the 3D era of Mortal Kombat, where Sub-Zero's primary style was Shotokan. Though, why a fighter who is from such a proudly Chinese clan would use a Japanese martial art does raise some questions. But I guess fewer than Cyrax using Ninjitsu, and not the only confirmed actual ninja in the game (Scorpion), and the Lin Kuei being adamant that they are not to be confused with ninjas (or was that just the original Sub-Zero who held that view?).
I think you hit the nail on the head with the conclusion. Great job as always
that transition right into ryu's sf6 theme caught me so off guard, it was perfect. 100/10
I love your videos in general, but I didn't expect this to be sooo interesting. My chibi Akuma tattoo appreciates it 👍🏽
Maybe Ansatsuken is the friends we made along the way.
Of course it's heavily inspired by Kyokushin, because Ryu is inspired by Kyokushin's founder Masutatsu Oyama... As well as his fictionalized counterpart found in the manga/anime "Karate Baka Ichidai" (which is a great anime you can watch for free on the TMS Animation TH-cam channel). Also that old school kata you showed was Bassai Dai. I'm learning that form now.
Hope you make some videos about street fighter 6 in the future, especially about the new designs and charachters
2:23 Fine... I wouldn't say it. 😂
Just looking at Ryu and Ken’s move set, I’d describe it as a mix of Phili-shell with kyokushin/boxing style punches and a higher modified Shotokan/Kempo bladed stance, with standard karate style kicks.
Ryu's step in sidekick is more Shito-Ryu style than Shotokan. Shotokan step in front of the lead foot where as Shito step in behind the lead foot.
Awesome video! Congratulations!
Well, after you do karate, can you please do these weapon-based fighting styles?
Kendo/Iaijutsu
Fencing/Jousting
Archery/Kyuujutsu
Any idea when the Style Select:Karate episode will be available?
Beautiful video, glad you are back!!!
It does not surprise me in the least that the answer to "What the heck is Ansatsuken?" is "Three martial arts in a trenchcoat with a bit of philosophy on top". The style of kung fu I learned is called Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung, after the five different families whose work it draws on, and is also known as the "Five Families" style because of this. Each of these names represents a specific part of fighting, which was researched and studied by specialists under these family names; then, the styles were combined to create a fighting style which could draw on the strengths of each family's specialty--from powerful striking techniques, to jointlocks and their applications for forcing the opponent out of position or to the ground, to the benefits of a strong stance, to the very philosophy of combat and how one should fight in the first place. (It's worth noting that this five-families style was developed for military and self-defense use, so by the definition of "ansatsuken" used in Fist of the North Star, Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung is _also_ ansatsuken!)
Of course, none of this would've been popularized in the Americas if it weren't for Chin Siu Dek, who traveled to America, changed his name to Jimmy H. Woo, and started teaching it to Americans. He's the one credited with the creation and spread of Kung Fu San Soo, the name that this art was taught under in the US, chosen because it was easier to pronounce than Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung. (This is not to be confused with Sanshou/Sanda, which uses the same words in Chinese--both literally translate to "unbound hands", referring to the fact that there are no rules in real combat.)
So, yeah, of _course_ Ryu's Ansatsuken is a mixture of several other arts. Many real-world martial arts are themselves built out of multiple older arts, combined to create a more complete picture of how to fight successfully, combined with contemporary shifts in philosophy about fighting, sometimes translated between languages or carried across borders.
Since this fighting style was made really early in video game industry. There is a chance they made it up as they went. With only a weeks worth of research. And just added on research as the series went on.
Great video as always!!
As an actual Shotokan Karate practitioner (been training since I was four, and currently a brown belt), this dude does NOT do Shotokan that's one thing I've learned
I have consistently held the belief that Sakura has the most potential in terms of Ansatsuken among the Street Fighter cast. She picks up the technique through imitation very quickly and is one of the few characters to perform angled and chargeable normal Hadokens, the other being Gouken and Akuma/Oni. Hers is obviously a technique of idolization and improvisation, as moves like the Sakura Otoshi are, from my understanding, atypical for most martial arts. But I feel like it culminates nicely in that she is the only character to have a super that uses all 3 of Ansatsuken's most famous techniques. Sakura no Ame starts with a Hadoken, follows up with a Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku, and ends with a Shoryuken. The reason I specify potential also is because Sakura is often shown balancing martial arts with other pursuits in her life, not fully dedicating to it as most other uses have, but despite that, her comparatively unhoned technique can still at least put up competition, perhaps not completely in the lore, but certainly at least in its framing in the games.
Hey I was wondering: are you planning on doing anymore Style Select? I really love those videos!
What is that orchestral Ryu's theme with the chorus that plays at the end?
I love that ur Style select was Halted by this awesome detor.
This makes the Ansatsuken users sound a lot Cooler. and they are Already really Friggin Cool! My Favorites are Gouken and Akuma.
"Raging demon never killed anyone."
Goutetsu in heaven: What the....
Learnt a very interesting thing today. Thanks, Sugarpunch!
good clip，just want to give some rumor that I heard before, the origin idea of ryu karate style is goju ryu, and the mawashi uke, turn to the hatoken 😊, at the street fighter 6 the new super of ryu is the same as goju ryu mawashi uke.
You HIT this bro. DOPENESS
"And Sean's is about hitting a beach ball"
Love your editing!
A little raging demon never hurt nobody
Just a little, as a treat
Man... This video was amazing, thank you very much
👏🏾 Gr8 video matey
Dan's lore is that he did literally learn his style as an ansatsuken explicitly to kill someone. So in a way it's a truer ansatsuken than Ryu's or Ken's.
I'm hoping for a style select of taekwondo in fighting games
I believe there is an interview that talked about the origins of Ryu’s move set and that they didn’t want to make it straight up karate, noting grappling and judo techniques, as well as kickboxing. I remember wondering about why the style does not look like regular karate, esp Ryu throwing straight up lead hook punches (very boxing) in SF3. This lead me to googling around and finding that interview. I’ll see if I can pull it up.